The Reds opened their Europa League campaign with a 1-1 stalemate in France on Thursday evening, with Brendan Rodgers electing to go with a largely second string side.

The likes of Jordan Rossiter, Jordon Ibe, Divock Origi and Pedro Chirivella all featured in the game, and McManaman says that the experience they will have garnered from the contest will stand them in good stead further down the line.

“It’s all about coming here and getting experience,” he told BT Sport.

“The experience that the youngsters will garnish from this game tonight will be invaluable down the line. There’s a bigger picture overall with Liverpool this season, it would have been great for them to win 2-0 or 3-0 would have been great, but it was about getting something for the kids.”

Liverpool should walk this group

Despite the disappointing draw, the Liverpool legend has backed his old side to win their group with ease - should they want to.

They were handed a fairly comfortable draw for this season’s competition, with Bordeaux, FC Sion and Rubin Kazan unlikely to offer fierce competition as the Reds aim to reach the knockout stages.

Indeed, the French side, who finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season, will surely be their hardest test, and having successfully negotiated the away fixture against Willy Sagnol’s side, McManaman says Liverpool should claim top spot with the minimum of fuss.

Sean Lunt

Sean Lunt is a Journalism and Spanish graduate with a passion for football. As an avid Everton fan he has survived the Walter Smith era, enjoyed the resurgence under David Moyes and is now wholly embracing the Spanish revolution with Roberto Martinez. Away from Everton he follows the rest of the football league and has a particular interest in La Liga.